Sorrento’s gentle front beach is an ideal place to while away some time. Have a picnic, go for a stroll, take a cooling swim or keep watch for wild dolphins that play in the clean bay waters. For some surf-pounding action, the back beach on the Bass Strait side of the peninsula is close by. Sorrento offers a long list of other recreational opportunities including golf, bushwalking, sailing, scuba diving, fishing and boating.
In the 1870s, entrepreneur and parliamentarian George Coppin, dubbed "the Father of Sorrento", realised the holiday potential. He encouraged Melburnians to seek respite from the city's scorching summer in an idyllic seaside setting and Sorrento's popularity blossomed.
Popular local events include the Sorrento Art Festival in January and the Salt and Seaweed Sorrento Festival in March which showcases the region's food, wine and arts.
Sorrento is located 112 kilometres south of Melbourne. A year-round car and passenger ferry service connects Sorrento with Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula, across the bay.
